WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
VOL. 118 NO. 28 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: Osceola boys basketball beats Somerset. PAGE 12
Body discovered in Osceola yard BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Police are investigating after the body of a California man was found in the back yard of an Osceola residence last week. Osceola police responded to the report of a body seen on the 100 block of Hialeah Street shortly after 6 a.m. Wed., Feb. 3., and identified the man as 67-yearold Dennis W. Anderson from Bakersfield, Calif. A post mortem examination found that Anderson had died of a single puncture wound to his chest. Based on the information gathered last week, the Osceola Police Department and Polk County Sheriff’s Department believe the incident was isolated and did not reflect a threat to the public. The investigation is ongoing and more information will be released as it is available.
To vote — bring the right ID BY STEVE BRIGGS BURNETT COUNTY SENTINEL
When you head to the polls to cast your ballot in 2016, don’t forget your ID. No ID, no vote. There are very few exceptions. Thirty-three states now have a voter ID law. Wisconsin is one of nine that strictly requires a picture ID. But, not just any ID will do. It has to be one of the following eight types of photo ID: • Wisconsin Driver’s License, current or expired. It can be presented for voting even if driving privileges have been suspended or revoked. • Wisconsin DOT-issued State ID. • Tribal ID. • WI Driver Receipt of State ID Receipt. • Certificate of Naturalization (with embedded photo). • U.S. Passport Book or Card. • U.S. Uniformed Services ID. In most, but not all cases, one of those seven IDs will be enough to allow you to vote. The eighth and final ID has a second requirement: • A University, College or Tech College Photo ID SEE VOTING, PAGE 11
League of Women Voters returns A local chapter of the League of Women Voters is re-forming in the St. Croix River Valley. Among its top priorities are voter registration and education on new voter identification laws. See page 16 for more.
Dates to note • Feb. 16: Spring Primary There will be a statewide primary for Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. • April 5: Municipal Spring Election and Presidential Preference Primary • Aug. 9: Partisan Primary • Nov. 8: Fall General Election President, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, even-numbered Wisconsin State Senate seats, all Wisconsin Assembly seats and all district attorneys will be elected.
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Man charged with attempted homicide BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
An Osceola man has been charged with attempted seco ond-degree intenttional homicide a after an apparent d dispute late Sunday n night left another m man severely beate en and struggling to b breathe when police Krueger a arrived on the scene. According to the criminal complaint, a call came in at about 12:35 a.m., Feb. 1, reporting a disturbance in an apartment building. Osceola police responded to the call, which led to the apartment of Paul Krueger, 34. Krueger was slow to open the door and when he did, saw the officer and slammed the door shut saying he knew his rights. The officer spoke with neighbors, who reported hearing yelling, banging and screaming from the apartment for about 45 minutes before calling 911. They’d heard a male yell, “Ow, stop hurting me,” repeatedly. They also heard a male yell, “I will wreck you!” to which another male responded, “Why are you hurting me?” The witnesses indicated that the noises had stopped when the
squad car arrived in the building’s parking lot. The officer returned to Krueger’s apartment, now accompanied by two officers from the Polk County Sheriff’s Department, knocking on the door with intent to check the welfare of those inside. Krueger opened the door slightly and, according to the complaint, the officers pushed the door open and saw a severely injured, unconscious male on the floor, roughly 10 feet from the door. His breathing was labored and he was bleeding profusely from his head. The area around his eyes was bruised and puffy and he had bruises on the left side of his torso. The officers handcuffed Krueger, who resisted, and called an ambulance to the scene. First responders treated the victim for a trauma to the back of his head and brought him to the Osceola Medical Center, where the ER staff found a plum-sized wad of paper towel in the victim’s airway. Transport was arranged to send the victim to Regions Hospital in St. Paul. Amid rumors that the victim had died, the Osceola Police Department confirmed Thursday, Feb. 4, that he was alive and in stable condition. Krueger has been charged
with attempted second-degree intentional homicide, aggravated battery and obstructing an officer. He also faces a charge of possession of THC with intent to deliver, associated with marijuana, paraphernalia and a large amount of cash found in the apartment after his arrest. Krueger has charges pending in St. Croix County for criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct. His preliminary hearing for the charges in Polk County is scheduled for Feb. 2 at 1 p.m. A companion on the scene, Joshua Rader, 26, Osceola, has been charged with failure to aid a victim or report a crime. According to the criminal complaint, Rader told police he had passed out on the couch before the dispute had started and, due to heavy drinking, didn’t wake up until medical responders were in the apartment. In an interview at the jail, Rader told police that he would have stopped the fight if he could have.
This article is based on information from the criminal complaint, based on reports by officers at the time of arrest. Though charges have been filed, the accused are presumed innocent until convicted by a judge or jury.
Geology meets romance Local author writes of romance and the valley BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
A lot has happened since local author Fred Brede released his historical novel set in the St. Croix River Valley, “From Rivers to Rails,” last spring. He’s written a couple more works of historical fiction – including a sequel to “From Rivers to Rails” – and signed with national publisher, Destiny Whispers, to write romance novels. “It’s clean romance,” he explains, “nothing my wife or grandma wouldn’t read.” Just in time for Valentine’s Day, he’s releasing a self-published romance, “Inheritance of Love,” set in Balsam
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SUZANNE LINDGREN | THE SUN
Local author Fred Brede is releasing a locally set novel, “Inheritance of Love,” to coincide with Valentine’s Day.
Lake. “You’ll recognize a lot of the descriptions of Balsam Lake,” says Brede, who volunteers at Wisconsin’s Interstate Park gift shop and with the
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Ice Age Trail Alliance. “The lakes and land and the people – it’s a big change in culture for the main charSEE BREDE, PAGE 19
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